LONDON – Roger Federer has been seeded second ahead of great rival Rafael Nadal for Wimbledon despite trailing the Spaniard in the world rankings.
Nadal complained earlier this week that Wimbledon’s unique formula for seeding that combines ranking points with form in grass-court competitions was disrespectful.
World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed.
Eighteen-time Grand Slam winner Nadal, ranked number two in the world, is therefore guaranteed to be in the same half of the draw as either Federer or Djokovic.
“Obviously it would be better to be two than three, but if they think I have to be three, I will accept three and fight to win the matches I have to win,” Nadal told Spanish television channel Movistar on Monday.
“The only thing that doesn’t seem right about this issue is that it is only Wimbledon that does it. If they all did it, it would seem more correct.
“It’s not only about my particular case. There have been many occasions when players have played well all year on all surfaces, but Wimbledon does not respect the ranking they have earned.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rogerfederer #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/iAVr9pNNk4
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon)
South Africa’s Kevin Anderson is seeded fourth, well ahead of his ranking of eight, after reaching the final for the first time last year, with Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas all bumped down one position.
The women’s seedings do mirror the rankings, with French Open champion Ashleigh Barty top of the pile for the first time at a Grand Slam ahead of Naomi Osaka.
Defending champion Angelique Kerber is seeded fifth, with seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams down in 11th.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon https://t.co/mKtl4R5QZy
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon)